


Rescue Mission

by theScrap_Witch



Series: Quests and Questions [4]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:53:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27498991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theScrap_Witch/pseuds/theScrap_Witch
Summary: Aryll put the clues together.The injured men all armed to the teeth. Her big brother, unconscious, surrounded by them. The spooky, dark magic that had dropped them on the island from out of nowhere. The answer was obvious.Link had been kidnapped!Determination flared in her heart, a fire that made her fierce, sparked a bravery stronger than anything she’d ever felt before. Aryll closed her telescope and put her hands on her hips. “Don’t worry, big brother,” she said, sending her promise to him on the wind. “This time, I’ll rescue you!”
Series: Quests and Questions [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1864564
Comments: 123
Kudos: 369





	1. Chapter One

With Link gone on another adventure, it was up to Aryll to protect Outset Island. It was a job she took very seriously. Every evening, after Granny had tucked her into bed and kissed her goodnight, Aryll would sneak out of her bedroom window and climb up to her lookout with her telescope. Her old one was still with Link, a good luck charm to keep him safe on his adventures. This one was new, a welcome home gift the Outset Island villagers had given her when she’d returned from the Forsaken Fortress. With it, she could see everything: her island, the starry sky, the Great Sea stretched out endlessly around them all.

With it, she could keep her home safe.

Aryll wasn’t alone, either. Her seagulls - her best friends in the whole world - always came with her. Day and night, they were at her side: Flipper, who stole seashells. Ben, who liked to nap all day. And Marin, who could sing beautifully, and always kept a red hibiscus flower in her nest.

They were with Aryll that night when she saw it happen.

A black swirl, like a whirlpool of smoke, burst onto the island’s edge. High up in the cliffs, right at the edge of the Fairy Forest, like a terrible black spot. Out tumbled a group of men, as strange as the magic itself.

Aryll nearly dropped her telescope. “Did you three see that?”

Flipper dropped his new stolen shell and squawked. Ben, curled up on her head, woke up from his nap and ruffled his feathers. Marin, who had been staring out at the sea, moved closer on the railing to Aryll’s side.

Flipper squawked again, pecking angrily on the wooden boards.

“I don’t know, Flipper, but it looks bad.” Dark magic was always evil, wasn’t it? The evil man had used it. Ganondorf. Aryll had heard Tetra and her brother whispering about him on the pirate ship when they thought she was asleep. He’d tried to use his power to end the world.

_Are they like Ganondorf too?_

Aryll zoomed in with her telescope, trying to get a closer look. They didn’t look like Ganondorf, or moblins, or any monsters she recognized. There were eight or nine of them - it was hard to tell, they kept shuffling around, frantic and yelling - all with bloody swords in their hands. Their clothes were bloody too. Even as far away as she was, Aryll could make out rips and gashes on their tunics.

Marin rubbed her head against Aryll’s arm.

“Don’t be scared, Marin,” said Aryll. “They landed on the far side. See?” She put her telescope in front of the seagull’s head.

Marin tapped at it with her beak.

“Uh huh. That’s right. They’re too far away to see the village, so they probably don’t even know that people live here.”

Aryll brought the telescope back to up to her face, trying to make out more details. Some of them looked hurt. Had they been in a fight? Against what? A man in a blue scarf was holding something in his arms. He turned, yelling at another man with pink hair.

_Link!_

He was holding her big brother!

Link wasn’t moving. Was he dead? No! No, no, no! Link couldn’t die. He was a hero, and heroes never died. He was just asleep! Or hurt, and ( _what was the word, what was the word, oh!_ ) unconscious.

Aryll put the clues together.

The injured men all armed to the teeth. Her big brother, unconscious, surrounded by them. The spooky, dark magic that had dropped them on the island from out of nowhere. The answer was obvious.

Link had been kidnapped!

Determination flared in her heart, a fire that made her fierce, sparked a bravery stronger than anything she’d ever felt before. Aryll closed her telescope and put her hands on her hips. “Don’t worry, big brother,” she said, sending her promise to him on the wind. “This time, I’ll rescue you!”

***

Before she went after Link, Aryll snuck back home to gather supplies.

Rope, some paper, a pencil, a box of matches. Bandages and a red potion for Link. She stuffed it all in her backpack. Her telescope too, of course. In her head, she tried to remember every trick Tetra’s pirate crew had taught her. Rolls and strong knots and the best place to whack a bad guy with a stick. When Link had saved her, he’d had a special sword and wind magic. All she had was a wooden sword (from Orca, "for practice") and a real dagger (from Tetra, “because all girls need their own daggers."). So far, the only thing she’d used either of them against was a very angry hermit crab who’d attacked Flipper for stealing its shell.

_I scared the hermit crab away. Maybe, if I’m clever, I can scare all these bad guys away too._

Her seagulls followed her. They were coming with her to get her big brother back.

“Are you sure?” she asked them. “It will be dangerous.”

Flipper tugged her hair. Ben fluffed up his feathers. Marin rubbed her head against Aryll’s cheek.

Aryll smiled. “Thank you.” _My friends are so brave,_ she thought. _With them at my side, I can be brave too._ “Let’s go."

Granny was asleep in her rocking chair. Aryll made sure the blanket was snug around her shoulders.

“I’ll be back soon, Granny,” she whispered, kissing her on the cheek. “I’ll bring Link home with me.”

Then, with her supplies and seagulls ready, she snuck out the door and up to the Fairy Forest.

***

A lifetime of hide and seek had taught Aryll the best hiding spots, the easiest paths underneath bushes that adults were too tall to see.Her seagulls stayed close. Ben sat on her shoulder, a comforting warmth as she crawled under leaves. Flipper and Marin flew above her, fluttering from branch to branch, their dark eyes sharp for danger. Aryll followed their lead, stopping when they did, keeping her footsteps as quiet as she could. _Use the moon and stars to light your way,_ she thought, remembering what the pirates had said about sailing the sea at night. _Listen to the wind._

She didn't have to go far before she found the kidnappers.

They’d set up camp a short way from where the strange portal had dropped them. Bedrolls had been spread out around a low fire, and something warm and delicious smelling was cooking in an iron pot. Empty potion bottles were scattered on the grass, and all of them had at least one bandage decorating their skin.

Heart pounding, Aryll’s eyes searched wildly for her brother.

_There!_

Link had been laid out on one of the bedrolls, smack in-between a man with a blue scarf and another holding a harp. Red-speckled bandages had been wrapped around his head and one of his arms was snug in a sling. His eyes were still closed, still sleeping through the terrible danger he’d been put in.

Aryll had the sudden urge to yell for him, to scream “WAKE UP!”. She bit down hard on her tongue before her heart could do something so stupid.

_I need a plan,_ she thought. But what could she do against all of them? There were so many of them! And they were so big! Even the shortest one was taller than her! Aryll nicknamed them all in her head: One-Eye, Pinky, Scarface, Fancypants, Freckles, Rainbow and Sleepyhead. Her brother made eight, but that didn’t seem right. Aryll counted again. Still eight. Hadn’t there been one more?

Voices caught her attention. “How is he?”

“Resting. 'Rule says he’s stable.”

  
  
“Thank Hylia.” Fancypants let out a long sigh. “That was too close.”

_I bet they cheated,_ thought Aryll. Even though none of them could see her, she stuck out her tongue. _That’s the only reason why Link lost. They’re all stinky cheaters._

Pinky walked closer to the flames, his face clear in the firelight. Marin let out a cry.

Aryll froze. So did Pinky. He seemed to stop breathing for a minute, his whole body rigid. 

“It’s just a seagull,” said Sleepyhead.

Marin went quiet, though her feathers were still ruffled in distress.

“I know,” said Pinky. He sighed and sat down with the others, a bag in his hands. “We must be close to the sea. Does anyone even know whose Hyrule we’re in?”

“It’s hard to tell,” said Freckles. “I could explore - “

“No,” said Rainbow, his eyes flashing blue. “Don’t even think about it.”

“We’re safe enough for now,” said One-Eye, ending their argument before it could fully begin. “We can figure out the rest after we’ve all recovered.”

Pinky began to rummage through his bag, pulling out a pile of strange objects. One looked like a mysterious type of seashell, and even from her hiding place Aryll could see Flipper’s eyes go big with _WANT_.

“Keep it together, Flipper,” she whispered.

The seagull squirmed on his branch and pecked at his feathers, but stayed quiet in his tree. The kidnappers kept talking.

“Where’s Twilight?”

“Checking the perimeter. We’re not in the position to fight off another surprise attack.”

“I’ll go make sure he’s okay,” said Scarface, abruptly standing up.

“Be careful,” cautioned One-Eye.

_I can’t let him get near the village,_ she thought. That’s what Link would do; protect all the people. _I need to make sure he doesn’t get too close._

“I’ll be back, big brother,” she promised, and went after Scarface.

She kept herself a few paces back, hidden underneath the long bushes, her eyes never leaving the stranger. Her heart raced faster and faster as he made his way further from the camp and cliffs, nearer to the path which lead to the sleeping village below.

_Should I throw a rock? Make a distraction? Trick him into turning around?_

She didn’t need to wonder what to do for long. Scarface stopped, and out from one of the bushes came something large and furry with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

“About time I found you,” said Scarface, grinning down at the wolf.

_Oh wow,_ thought Aryll, a wide smile stretching across her face. _That’s a huge puppy!_

This must have been the “Twilight” one the others had mentioned. Aryll immediately liked him best, because he wasn’t a person with a scary sword. Mr Puppy (she liked her name much better than the one Scarface had used) was big and fluffy and oh, she wanted to climb on his back and see how fast he could run. And pet him! She wanted to pet him so much!

Scarface must have had the same idea, as he buried his hands into the wolf’s thick fur. “How’s your leg?”

The puppy let out a low huff, an almost growl.

“You should still rest it.”

Another growl.

“Right. And you say I’m careless about my injuries.”

Aryll shook her head. _Focus!_ She couldn’t let Scarface walk any further towards the village.

Her seagulls must have thought the same thing. Flipper let out a cry. Immediately Scarface’s head snapped up to the tree tops, and - to Aryll’s horror - a bow appeared in his hands.

  
  
“Roast bird could be good for dinner.”

They hunted seagulls? No wonder Link fought them! These were evil, terrible men and in that moment Aryll hated every single one of them with all of her heart. She picked up a rock, ready to charge if Scarface dared to fire a single arrow at her friends.

But the wolf stopped him, head-butting him lightly against the back of the leg.

“All right, all right. Legend would be pissed if I served him a beach cucco anyway.” He sighed. “I’ll tell the others you’re doing one more walk around. See you back at the camp soon.”

Then he turned and walked back through the trees to the others. Aryll sighed in relief. At least the village below was safe. For now.

But what about her brother?

_Think, think, think!_

Scarface loved the wolf a lot. All the kidnappers probably did. _Tetra once said that people will give up anything for something they value,_ thought Aryll. She hadn’t really understood the words until now. _If I can catch Mr Puppy, then I can trade him. Their fluffy friend for my brother._

And she knew exactly how to do it.

She gestured to Flipper and Marin, and the two seagulls flew low and joined her in the bushes. Aryll leaned down, the three feathered heads pressing warm against hers. “Okay,” she whispered to them, “Here’s what we’re going to do…”

***

Gonzo had shown her how to do it. Which way to tie the ropes, how to hide them in order to keep your target unaware. _Snare trap,_ he’d called it. _Don’t have to use it often, but there’s always a fool that thinks he can outsmart us by runnin’ around in some overgrown bushes. Just cause we live on the water don’t mean we ain’t got a trick or two up our sleeves for catchin’ landlubbers._

Aryll mimicked what she’d seen using the rope she’d brought with her. _I knew I’d need this for something._ She didn’t have enough for all the kidnappers, but she could get the wolf. She was careful to make it low enough to only catch the wolf’s leg. She didn’t want to accidentally hurt him by having it snap around his neck. 

Her seagulls kept look-out, and she’d only just finished hiding her trap when Ben let out a sharp _caw!_

She scurried up one of the trees, hiding herself in the leaves. The wind was blowing her scent towards the cliff edge, far away from the wolf’s nose. Aryll couldn’t see the wolf, but her seagulls could, and she trusted their eyes. Marin was perched on the lowest branch, Aryll’s snare trap hidden right beneath her. Flipper let out another squawk, another sign that wolf was getting closer. Aryll gave Marin a thumbs up.

On cue, Marin started to sing.

There wasn’t anything in the world that sounded like Marin. Even Medli, who could play the harp, admitted that the seagull had a lovely voice. “I wasn’t aware that seagulls could sing," the Rito had said.

“Marin is special,” Aryll had explained.

And she was. Her song was sweet, the notes as clear and warm as sunshine. Nothing could resist listening, and the wolf was no exception.

From her hiding place up in the tree, Aryll watched the wolf slowly approach where Marin was perched. He didn’t look like he would attack; his muscles stayed relaxed, his tail wagging in open curiosity. Marin continued to sing, and Aryll held her breath as the wolf stepped closer and closer to her trap.

_A little more…a little more…_

**_SNAP!_ **

There was a half second where the wolf’s eyes went wide, where he sensed trouble and tried to pull his front paw back. Too late. The trap latched tight.

“Yes!”

Quick as an eel, Aryll slid down her tree and tied the last of her rope around the wolf’s jaws, clamping his mouth shut before he could howl. He started to snarl, but froze when he saw exactly who had captured him

Aryll grinned at the wide-eyed wolf, the three seagulls cooing triumphantly beside her.“Caught you!”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dear Kidnappers,
> 
> I have taken your puppy hostage. If you want him back, you will bring me my big brother. We will trade and then you will leave. If you don’t, then you will never see your puppy again. I will be waiting by the biggest tree near the cliffs. Look for the seagulls.
> 
> From: Aryll, Flipper, Marin and Ben.

Aryll put her hands on her hips. “Listen up, Mr Puppy. I’m Aryll, and these,” she gestured to her seagulls, “are Flipper, Ben, and Marin. You are now our prisoner. Behave and we will return you to your friends.”

With his free front paw, Mr Puppy tried to push off the rope that bound his jaws shut. No luck.

“That won’t work,” said Aryll, shaking her head. “I was trained by the best pirates in all the Great Sea. I’m sorry, Mr Puppy, but I can’t have you making noise. What if the bad men hear you?”

The words ‘bad men’ made the wolf’s ears flick up, head turning quickly to stare at Aryll, his blue eyes swirling with confusion.

“The kidnappers!” explained Aryll. “All the scary men that came out of the dark magic! They have my big brother hostage, so I’m going to hold you hostage and get Link back.” A terrible thought struck her. “You can’t use dark magic too, can you Mr Puppy? Because all people who can are evil and I really, really don’t want you to be evil.” The thought of such a big, fluffy puppy being bad made her want to cry.

Mr Puppy sat back on his hind legs, tail wagging. Aryll took that as a good sign and sighed in relief. “Thank goodness.”

Her friends still did not trust him. Flipper stood in front of Aryll, Ben and Marin close at her sides. The wolf looked at the seagulls. Rough, half growls came out of his throat, the sound warbled by the rope around his jaws, like he was trying to explain something.

Flipper wasn’t in the mood to listen. He jumped in front of the wolf, hopping back and forth on his webbed feet, squawking and snapping his beak angrily, wings up in the air to make himself look bigger.Marin flew back up onto a low tree branch, and Ben perched himself on Aryll’s shoulder. Whatever the wolf was saying, none of the seagulls believed him.

Conversation over, Mr Puppy let out a low whine. He laid his head low in the dirt and looked up at Aryll with big, sad eyes. The guilt was almost too much for her to handle.

“I’m sorry, Mr Puppy…” Maybe she’d made the ropes too tight? Should she loosen them?

Ben tugged her hair before she could give in and untie him.

“No.” Aryll shook her head. “You’re right, Ben. We don’t have time to waste.” She had to move quickly, while the kidnappers were still unaware. She pulled a paper and pencil out of her backpack.

Writing a ransom note was tricky. Aryll was careful not to give away any hints about the village, and she used her best handwriting so that they would know she was serious.

**Dear Kidnappers,**

**I have taken your puppy hostage. If you want him back, you will bring me my big brother. We will trade and then you will leave. If you don’t, then you will never see your puppy again. I will be waiting by the biggest tree near the cliffs. Look for the seagulls.**

**From: Aryll, Flipper, Marin and Ben.**

She also drew a quick picture of herself and her seagulls and Mr Puppy tied to a tree, and a skull and cross-bones because that’s how Tetra signed all her letters and it looked really cool.

“There!” She held it up for her seagulls to see. The words were neat, and she was mostly sure that she’d spelled everything correctly. “What do you think?”

Flipper squawked. Marin cooed. Ben bobbed his head.

“Thank you. I’m very proud of the picture too.” She rolled it up. “Okay. Who wants to deliver this to the bad guys?”

Marin, normally the most comfortable around people, hid her head beneath one of her wings. Ben, of course, did not volunteer. He only wanted to travel if someone was carrying him. Flipper, however, let out a loud squawk, beak snapping at the empty air.

“Here.” Aryll leaned down and handed Flipper the rolled up ransom note. He gripped it tight between this beak. “Remember, Flipper, drop the note off, make sure they read it, and then come straight back. These are evil men who can use magic and have bows and arrows and could try to eat you. Be careful.” She kissed the top of his feathered head. “Now, fly!”

Off he flew, fast and silent through the trees.

Aryll rubbed her arms. _Now, I just have to wait for him to come back. Then the really hard part will begin._

***

Waiting for Flipper was the longest five minutes of Aryll’s life.

She paced back and forth, trying not to worry. Flipper was tough. His beak was sharp and he wasn’t afraid to use it. He could fly really fast and knew the layout of the island better than the kidnappers did. He didn’t even have to get too close to them! All he had to do was drop the note into their laps and then fly straight back. He’d be fine.

So why was it taking him so long?

“It will be okay,” she told Marin and Ben, both who were just as concerned as she was.

Mr Puppy gave another whine from where he was tied up. He was behaving wonderfully, and Aryll wished she had some sort of treat to give him. _Next time I go on a rescue mission, I’ll pack a snack._

“Don’t worry, Mr Puppy, I’m sure your friends will come for you.” Why wouldn’t they? He was such a good puppy. “I’m not scared of them, though! I came prepared!” She held up her dagger for Mr Puppy to admire. “See? It’s like a knife, but better.”

Mr Puppy stood up, tugged hard on the trap, like he wanted to lunge towards her and knock the dagger out of her hand.

“But that’s only for emergencies.” She put her dagger away, and only then did Mr Puppy sit back down. Instead, she put her wooden sword in her hands, giving it a few practice swings in the air. “I have this too, see? If the bad men get too close, then I can whack them.”

The bushes behind Aryll rustled, and she turned around just in time to see Scarface walk out of the shadows and straight towards her. His eyes immediately found Mr Puppy, widening in concern.

“Twi, what - ”

“Don’t move!” Aryll pointed her wooden sword at Scarface.

Scarface looked down at her and went still. “Aryll?” he whispered, and then his eyes glazed over. It was like watching someone get pulled into a dream.

“Um, hello?” How did he know her name? Had he read her note?

Scarface continued not to move.

Behind her, Mr Puppy let out a painful whine. Marin flew closer and, carefully, pecked the top of Scarface’s head.

Still nothing.

“Are you okay?” Aryll poked him with the tip her wooden sword. Scarface was like stone, not even blinking. What was happening? Did he fall asleep standing up? Or…or was this a spell? He could have been talking to the others with his mind right now, planning a sneak attack!

“Your magic won’t work on me!” said Aryll, and she swung her wooden sword as hard as she could. It cracked against Scarface’s head, and he tumbled to the ground.

The forest went silent.

“Oh no,” whispered Aryll, “I killed him.”

She leaned down, her heart racing. Marin and Ben fluttered down on top of Scarface’s chest, looking at him intently. Marin pecked at him again. Even Mr Puppy was quiet behind them.

Scarface’s chest rose and fell in slow, steady breaths.

Not dead, just knocked out.

“We caught another one!” Aryll lifted her wooden sword in the air as she cheered. Ben and Marin danced around her, bobbing their heads in victory. She looked over her shoulder and called out to the wolf. “Its okay, Mr Puppy! Your evil friend is not dead!”

The wolf was lying on the ground, his free paw covering his eyes.

With Ben’s help, Aryll did her best to drag Scarface (why did tall people have to be so heavy?) to the tree where Mr Puppy was. She didn’t have any more rope, but as long as he didn’t wake up it should have been okay.

_I have two hostages now,_ she thought, grinning down at her captives. Tetra would have been so impressed. _They’ll have to give me my big brother back._

Just then, Flipper returned, landing on the ground by her feet.

“Flipper! You’re back!” Aryll gave him a big smile. “Well? How’d it go?”

Flipper pecked at the ground, not meeting her eyes.

That wasn’t good. “Did something happen?” she asked, worry starting to grow again, eating away the feeling of confidence.

He shook his tail feathers.

“Flipper, what happened? You delivered the note, right?”

He let out a low caw.

Oh no. Aryll knew what that meant. She’d heard it dozens of times, right after she’d caught him taking things he shouldn’t. “Flipper, did you try to steal Pinky’s shell thing?”

Another low, very guilty sounding caw.

“Flipper!”

Marin tapped Flipper on the head, hard.

“No! Now is not the time to fight!” This wasn’t good. This really wasn’t good! “Are you hurt?” She knelt down and gently brushed her fingers across his feathers. “No? Good. Did they decide to chase you?”

Flipper’s head bobbed. Marin flew up into the trees, ready to keep watch. Ben shook on her shoulder, tugging at her hair. Aryll took in a deep breath, trying to calm down her heart. “How many are chasing you?”

He cawed one, two, three, four times.

That was not how she wanted the trade to go. She was supposed to have more time to prepare! They were supposed to bring her big brother with them!

_Think, think, think!_

She needed to get help. Warn the village. Do something to make sure that, no matter what, Outset wasn’t caught in a surprise attack. Marin was on lookout, and she needed Flipper in case a fight broke out. That left…

“Ben.” Aryll lifted the seagull off her shoulder, and held him gently in front of her face. “Listen, Ben, this is important. I need you to go get help.”

Ben squirmed in her hands and pulled at his feathers.

“I know, I know. You hate flying. But I don’t know if I can do this by myself. I thought I could, but now things are starting to fall apart. Please, Ben. Please.”

Ben stared at her, his dark eyes so big Aryll could see her reflection in them. Gently, he tapped her nose with his beak.

Then he flew out of her hands, out towards the cliffs and the Great Sea.

“No! Ben, that’s the wrong way! Ben!”

But he was gone.

Aryll wrapped her arms around her chest. Tears filled up her eyes, a few spilling out before she could stop herself. Flipper flew up onto her head and rubbed his beak against her hair. Mr Puppy stretched out as far out as the trap would let him, and nudged her with his nose, cold and wet but still comforting.

“Thank you,” said Aryll, wiping away her tears. “Sometimes, it’s just really hard to be brave.”

Marin let out a caw, and flew back up to the tree branches above Mr Puppy. Flipper followed, perching on the other side.

“Good idea,” said Aryll. Better to have higher ground when she faced the bad men. She climbed up so that she was in-between her two seagulls, wooden sword in her hand. _I’ll keep my dagger hidden for now. Tetra always said it’s smart to have a secret weapon._

Mr Puppy let out another whine, watching her climb. Again, he tried to free himself from the trap to follow her, but Aryll’s knots held firm.

“Just stay there, Mr Puppy! I’ll be okay.” She took in a deep breath, fingers trembling as she held her wooden sword. _Be like Link_ , Aryll told herself. _Be brave and hold your sword tight and never give up, no matter what._

_Be a hero, just like big brother._

_***_

Four of them came into her part of the woods, just as Flipper had said. Fancypants and Pinky, bickering with one another. Freckles, gazing around the Fairy Forest with open curiosity. And Rainbow, eyes changing colours as he thought.

“Halt!” ordered Aryll. She pointed her wooden sword down at them.

They all stopped, looked up to the branch where she stood. Their eyes flickered at Mr Puppy, at the unconscious Scarface, and then back up at her and the two seagulls at her side.

“I have captured two of your friends,” said Aryll. Flipper let out a squawk, feathers puffed up as he glared down at the kidnappers. Marin was quiet, dark eyes locked on Pinky. “So you better listen to me if you want them back!”

Fancypants opened and closed his mouth a few times, unable to find any words. Rainbow was rubbing his forehead, eyes squeezed shut. Freckles had a hand over his mouth, like he was trying his best not to laugh. Pinky’s eyes flickered between the two seagulls before looking down at Mr Puppy.

“Really?” he said to the wolf, “A five year old? After everything we’ve faced? That’s what gets you?”

“I’m eight!”

But Pinky ignored her, smirking at her two hostages. “I’m never going to let either of you live this down.”

Mr Puppy let out a low growl, his whole body laying flat on the ground as though he wanted to sink beneath the moss and dirt.

“Excuse me!” Aryll raised her voice. “I am trying to negotiate here!”

“Negotiate?” repeated Rainbow.

“For Link! My big brother, who you kidnapped!” She stamped her foot against the tree. “Didn’t any of you read my ransom note?”

“That’s what that scribbling was about?” said Pinky.

_Scribbling? How rude! I put a lot of work into that note!_

“Young lady, you are mistaken,” said Fancypants. His tone was candy sweet, like Aryll was some sort of baby who needed soothing. “We did not kidnap your brother,”

“Liar! I saw the dark magic drop you here.”

“That was a portal,” said Rainbow, “which we didn’t make. We’re not the ones controlling the magic.”

“We’re friends with your big brother,” said Fancypants.

Freckles said nothing, still trying and failing not to laugh. It made Aryll’s cheeks burn red.

_I’m not going to fall for their tricks,_ thought Aryll. If they were Link’s friends, then they would have gone to his house! And they would never have used dark magic. “My big brother isn’t friends with bad people!”

“His best friend is a pirate,” said Pinky, rolling his eyes.

Aryll gasped. What was that supposed to mean? Tetra was amazing! “She’s a pirate captain!” Aryll corrected. “The greatest one in the whole world!”

“Still a pirate.”

“Legend,” said Rainbow, eyes now green, “You’re not helping.”

Fancypants sighed. “Okay, this has been cute, but it’s gone on long enough.” He walked forward. “Young lady, you are coming down from that tree and back to camp with us so we can sort this whole mess out sensibly.”

Aryll braced herself, ready to fight. _Don’t give up, no matter what_ , she reminded herself. Flipper and Marin went tense, wings ready.

Freckles stopped laughing and squinted out past the tree tops. “What is that?”

Everyone - even Aryll and Mr Puppy - turned their eyes to the sky. Flying through the night was a flock of seagulls, the largest one Aryll had ever seen in her whole life. Dozens and dozens of them, with dark eyes and sharp beaks, heading straight for where the group stood.

And leading them all, was Ben.

Pride and love filled up Aryll’s whole heart, rekindling her courage. “Attack!” she yelled, raising her wooden sword into the air.

“Holy Hylia!” gasped Fancypants, before Flipper smacked him straight between the eyes.

The world became a flurry of feathers and fighting. Shouting surrounded Aryll, screams of terror, the loud battle squawks of seagulls. The birds were merciless, pecking and snapping at the four kidnappers. Mr Puppy stayed by the tree, as far away from it all as he could, watching the four men fail.

“Don’t hurt them!” said Pinky, when Freckles tried to hit one seagull with his sword.

“A little - ow! - hard!”

“They’re going to peck out my eyes!” cried Fancypants, arms flailing. 

Rainbow cowered beneath his shield. “Somebody get Sky!”

Aryll charged straight for Pinky. His legs were bare, no armour or anything to protect him from her attacks. “Take this!” She swung the wooden sword at him, smacking him in the shins.

“Ow! Fuck!”

“This is for making fun of my handwriting!” Aryll swung again.

“Stop hitting me!”

“And this is for saying that Tetra was a bad person!” The wooden sword cracked, threatening to shatter.

“Shit! You’re going to break my knees!”

“And this,” Aryll put all her strength into one more hit, “is for kidnapping my big brother!”

The wooden sword snapped on impact. Pinky was knocked off his feet, falling onto his back in one loud curse. Aryll stood on his chest, pinning him to the ground. She took out her dagger and pointed it at him. “Surrender!”

“What is going on?” A voice as deep and fierce as an ancient god interrupted the fight, freezing everyone - Hylian and seagull - in place.

Aryll glanced up. Sleepyhead and One-Eye had joined them, eyes wide at the chaos.

“We were attacked,” said Rainbow, still underneath his shield, his eyes now amber. “Sky, please tell these birds to leave us alone.”

Sleepyhead held out his arms. “Now, now, let’s calm down.” The seagulls turned to him, their ruffled feathers smoothing, and settled around him. Instantly, they became adoring, cooing and nuzzling him like a long-lost friend. “That’s it. What lovely birds you are. You’re all so sweet.”

“They tried to kill us!” said Freckles.

One-Eye looked at the other kidnappers, covered in bruises and feathers, and then pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do I even want to ask what happened?”

"Surprise attack," said Pinky, still stuck on the ground beneath Aryll's sandals. 

But Aryll was much more interested in Sleepyhead. “They like you,” she said, surprised. She’d never met anyone who loved seagulls as much as her.

“I have a kinship with birds,” said Sleepyhead, his smile as soft as feathers. He gazed fondly at them all, until a troubled frown crept over his peaceful expression. “Is that one hurt?”

Aryll’s heart leapt into her throat. A few steps away was a seagull, laying still on the ground.

_Marin!_

“No!” The lost fight, the danger of being surrounded, all of it vanished in cold fear. Aryll rushed towards her. Ben and Flipper flew to her side, cooing and nudging their fallen friend. “Who hit her? Who hurt Marin?”

Behind her, Pinky sucked in a sharp breath. “What did you call her?” His voice was strangled with pain.

Aryll didn’t care. Her eyes were on Marin, her hands hovering above her. _Do I pick her up? Did she hit her head? Is she bleeding? Will I hurt her more if I move her?_

“Is she okay?” said Pinky. Aryll didn’t know, couldn’t answer him. His voice rose louder. “Who did this?”

Fancypants raised his hand. “By accident,” he said.

“I'll kill you!” Pinky sprang to his feet, fists ready to swing.

“By the Three, Legend, are you actually about to murder me over a fucking seagull?”

“Language,” snapped One-Eye. He’d moved to where Mr Puppy and Scarface were, cutting away Aryll’s ropes.

Aryll was too busy crying to do anything to stop it. “She needs help! She needs - ” _My potion!_ Quickly, Aryll threw open her backpack and grabbed the small glass bottle. As carefully as she could, she lifted Marin’s head. Ben and Flipper pressed against her, shaking. Aryll let the red potion drip into the open beak.

_Please work, oh please, please work!_

Slowly, Marin’s eyes fluttered open. She looked up at Aryll and let out a soft caw.

“You’re okay!” Aryll picked her up and hugged her close to her heart. Flipper jumped up to Aryll’s head and Ben perched on her shoulder, both of them cooing happily.

Mr Puppy, now free, came up beside her and nudged Aryll with his nose. He leaned against her side, his fur as soft and wonderful as she’d imagined it would be.

_Now I’m the one captured,_ she thought, heart sinking. She’d failed her big brother, the village, everybody. “What are you going to do now?”

One-Eye sighed. “We are going to go back to camp. Wind told us where we are - ”

“He’s awake?” said Fancypants.

“Whose Wind?” asked Aryll.

“Wind is our nickname for your brother,” explained One-Eye, gazing fondly at Aryll. He knelt down so that the two of them were at eye-level. “He told us where we are. This is the Fairy Forest, correct?”

She nodded. “He told you that?”

“He told us that this was his home, and he wanted to introduce us to his village and Grandmother and brave little sister. Would you like to see him?”

“But we still haven’t found Twilight,” said Freckles.

“He’s probably waiting back at camp,” said Rainbow, eyes darting to Mr Puppy. “Wolfie, why don’t you go ahead and check on him for us.”

Mr Puppy let Aryll pet him one last time (so soft! she could have petted him forever!) before disappearing into the trees. _But I thought Mr Puppy was Twilight,_ thought Aryll. She must have gotten the names wrong. The whole evening began to weigh on her, leaving her exhausted. She wiped away her tears. “I want to see Link,” she said. “I want to see my big brother!”

One-Eye held out a hand to help her up. “Well then, let’s go.”

***

The one called Twilight met them half-way to the camp. “There you are,” he said. One-Eye walked past him, carrying the still knocked-out Scarface on his back.“I was wondering where everyone had gone. What happened?”

“We met Wind’s little sister,” said Fancypants, pulling feathers out of his hair. “Where were you?”

Twilight shrugged. “Got tied up in something, that’s all.”

“But where did Mr Puppy go?” Aryll’s mouth wobbled. “Is he mad at me?”

“No,” said Twilight. His eyes shone with mirth, with a gentle kindness that made Aryll’s heart warm. There was something familiar about them, but she couldn’t figure out why.

“How’s Wind?” asked Sleepyhead, still surrounded by seagulls.

“Better. He drifts in and out of consciousness.”

“Will he be okay?” asked Aryll.

“He’ll be just fine,” said Twilight. “I promise.”

Suddenly, stupidly, Aryll was nervous. She froze at the edge of the trees, the firelight from the camp making the world in front of her glow. Even with her seagulls in her arms cooing encouragingly, she couldn’t move.

_What if Link’s mad at me? It’s way passed my bedtime and I broke the sword Orca gave to me. What if he gets embarrassed because I’m just a little girl and he has all these big friends now? What if he only wants me to go away?_

“She okay?”

Aryll looked over her shoulder. Pinky was beside her, all the others now around the warm safety of the campfire. “Excuse me?”

“Mar - I mean, your seagull. Is she okay?”

“Yes,” said Aryll, sighing in relief.

“Good. I’m glad. I’m - " It was a struggle for him to talk. “You love her a lot and that’s good. I’m glad that…that she’s not alone.”

Marin looked up at him. Squawked. Then, she wriggled out of Aryll’s hands, flying to a clump of flowers and then back to the trees near them. She landed gracefully on a very low branch across from Pinky, a red hibiscus flower in her mouth.

Pinky held his breath.

She dropped the flower in front of him.

“Does she sing?” asked Pinky, his eyes never leaving the seagull.

“Yes,” said Aryll, looking back and forth between the two. What was going on? “Most seagulls don’t, but she does. That’s because Marin - ”

“ - is special,” he finished, tears shinning in his eyes. He picked up the flower Marin had given him and put it in his hair.

“Yes,” said Aryll, “She is.” Neither the seagull or the hero moved, so Aryll picked Marin up and placed her on Pinky’s hands. “Can you watch her for a bit? I don’t want her to move too much after what happened.”

“Sure,” said Pinky, and with trembling fingers, stroked Marin’s feathers.

Marin stared up at him and started to sing.

Aryll hurried to catch up to the others, leaving the two of them alone. There was a connection there, something she didn’t understand. That was okay. Maybe one day when she was older, she would.

Right now, she wanted to see her big brother. She gathered up the last of her courage and made her way to him.

His eyes were fluttering open when she knelt by his side. “Aryll,” said Link, voice clouded with pain as he smiled. “I missed you so much.” Even though he sounded half-asleep, he still noticed the tear marks on her cheeks. “What happened? Is everything okay?”

“Don't worry, big brother.” Aryll gave him a big smile of her own and hugged him tight. “Everything is just fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had "Ride of the Valkyries" playing on loop while writing this, especially during a certain part of the chapter. I bet you can guess which one ;P
> 
> This was a lot of fun to write! I don't normally write fluff, so it was great to try something new. Thank you so much for your lovely comments and kudos, and thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Have a good night/day, and stay safe!

**Author's Note:**

> "We're off on a mission/we're tough, in good condition/we're short but standing tall/no fear!"  
> (hats off to you if you get the reference!)
> 
> Is this how you write fluff? am I writing fluff correctly?
> 
> Once again, this started as a small idea and spun into a much larger fic. Look, all I knew was that, after I came up with the three seagulls in Safe Harbour, I had to give them a larger roll in another piece. I love beach chickens, okay?
> 
> I have a tumblr now, so if you wanna chat check me out at: https://thescrapwitch.tumblr.com 
> 
> Have a good night, and stay safe, everyone!


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